| The view that the ancient city of Heraklion survived on the site of the present-day town until the 9th century is based on unsound argumentation, since the sources used to substantiate the hypothesis are open to different interpretation. For instance, the reference to the Praetorium of Heraklion in the life of Saint Stephen the Younger alludes not to the city of Heraklion, but rather to Emperor Heraclius, whose ties with the Praetorium in Gortyna, then capital of Crete, are confirmed by archaeological finds. Nor are any references to a city named Heraklion found in the 6th century Synekdemos [Prayer Book] of Hierocles, or in historical texts on the Arab conquest of Crete. Furthermore, excavations in the area have failed to yield any finds from the first Byzantine period. |